An increasing number of consumers are focusing on eating fewer animal products and more plant-based alternatives, but they are not willing to compromise on taste or texture. However, replacing dairy or eggs in recipe development can deliver technical challenges. BENEO offers solutions for these challenges with the help of their functional ingredients.
Plant-based appeal
According to BENEO’s latest global plant-based survey[i], almost 6 in 10 consumers now say that they are interested in plant-based nutrition (59%). It is not surprising therefore that producers are responding with more products that carry a vegan or plant-based claim.
In line with this trend, egg and dairy replacement are becoming growing topics of discussion amongst food producers looking to reformulate. This is due to animal welfare, sustainability, health and ethical questions being raised by consumers. Hence it is no wonder that many food producers are looking for viable alternatives that deliver technical, nutritional and economic benefits.
Faba bean
Swapping out dairy can significantly impact a product’s taste and texture. And for over four out of every five consumers, taste tops the list of factors that are considered when making a dairy-alternative purchase[ii]. The BENEO-Technology Center team therefore set itself the challenge of creating a tasty, plant-based and dairy-free feta-style cheese alternative.
The feta-style cheese still offers the proper texture, delicious taste and overall desired mouthfeel. This is the result of combining BENEO’s faba bean ingredients together with its fibre and rice ingredients.
Discover all the technical and nutritional benefits that Faba bean ingredients offer here!
[i] BENEO Global Plant-Based & Meat Hybrids Survey 2023 – Dynata conducted an online quantitative survey in January 2023 in Germany, UK, France, Spain, Poland, USA, Brazil and Thailand (N=6167). Consumer sample scoring their interest level at least at 7/10.
[ii] FMCG Gurus, Dairy Trends 2022, Filter: Consumers who eat/drink dairy alternatives
